If you’re a runner, you’ve certainly run a mile or a 5K. Maybe you’ve run a half marathon or possibly even completed a marathon. Maybe you’re more of an active runner who has done the Tough Mudder or the the Spartan obstacle course races. Perhaps you’ve even out run zombies or been showered in colors at a Color Run.

I find myself in a dark room softly illuminated by the glow of candles. Outside there is a wild and wooly storm, the wind and rain lashes against and rattles the window. It’s a stark contrast to the warm, welcoming and cosy environment inside. I am on all fours, running through a cat/cow sequence with 20 other gorgeous women, who like me are all naked. Stark, bare, beautiful, and NAKED.

Tonight I experienced my first ever nude yoga class.

Now let me commence with my original comment when someone told me about Nude Yoga.

“Gross, just GROSS. Nope, no, definitely not!’

In my mind I had a visual of a well lit room, filled with naked bodies in uncompromising yoga positions, a rear view vision of downward dog. Shudder.

However, this idea kept presenting itself and after a girlfriend told me about…

Like this:

“See if you can beat Emma James!” crowed the Naturist Foundation via twitter last September, knowing that I’m all over the web like a rash, sporty and I was booked in on the BHnude5K .

I groaned. I might enjoy running but I’m so slow, my son can run faster than me backwards! What I lose in speed, I gain in endurance but you wouldn’t have known it last September. I’d have given up half way through, if it wasn’t for the fact it was a race,

In recent years, my running has varied from spluttering starts to regular training. At one stage I was running up to 2 hours 20 minutes. That’s what I now strive for but I’m currently in spluttering mode, aided and abetted by insomnia.

I favour running solo, seeking out woods and trails like a bloodhound. With my infamous sense of direction (ask my children Alice…

Most naturists/nudists believe that social nudity has significant health benefits. They’re very probably right. However, there doesn’t seem to be much clarity about exactly how nudity is beneficial for one’s health. We’re going to take a close look at that issue here. It’s going to take some time to give a good explanation. But if you want the quick answer, it’s this: social nudity helps counteract psychological stress. And if you’re in a hurry, you can jump here for the quick summary.

In the early days of naturism (up to 1940, say), there was a strong emphasis on healthful living. In Germany, where modern naturism originated in the late 1890s, nudity was considered to be a part of healthful living, whose principles were sometimes referred to as Lebensreform: “life reform”. The principles included such things as abstinence from alcohol, tobacco, and (other) addictive drugs, exercise, healthful diet (especially vegetarianism)…